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    Shea Davis - The Fish in My Heart

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    This document is a personal reflection on the author's connection to the ocean, fishing industry, and salmon in their home of Cordova, Alaska. It describes the author's realization as a child that the salmon they saw in streams had completed their life cycle and were dying. It also discusses how fishing provides food but must be done sustainably to avoid overfishing and endangering species like King Salmon in Prince William Sound. The reflection conveys the interconnectedness of the land, ocean, fish and human lives in this Alaskan community.

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    Shea Davis - The Fish in My Heart

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    This document is a personal reflection on the author's connection to the ocean, fishing industry, and salmon in their home of Cordova, Alaska. It describes the author's realization as a child that the salmon they saw in streams had completed their life cycle and were dying. It also discusses how fishing provides food but must be done sustainably to avoid overfishing and endangering species like King Salmon in Prince William Sound. The reflection conveys the interconnectedness of the land, ocean, fish and human lives in this Alaskan community.

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    This document is a personal reflection on the author's connection to the ocean, fishing industry, and salmon in their home of Cordova, Alaska. It describes the author's realization as a child that the salmon they saw in streams had completed their life cycle and were dying. It also discusses how fishing provides food but must be done sustainably to avoid overfishing and endangering species like King Salmon in Prince William Sound. The reflection conveys the interconnectedness of the land, ocean, fish and human lives in this Alaskan community.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    34 views2 pages

    Shea Davis - The Fish in My Heart

    Uploaded by

    api-583382380
    This document is a personal reflection on the author's connection to the ocean, fishing industry, and salmon in their home of Cordova, Alaska. It describes the author's realization as a child that the salmon they saw in streams had completed their life cycle and were dying. It also discusses how fishing provides food but must be done sustainably to avoid overfishing and endangering species like King Salmon in Prince William Sound. The reflection conveys the interconnectedness of the land, ocean, fish and human lives in this Alaskan community.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    of 2

    The Fish in my Heart

    Shea Davis

    I am incredibly fortunate to have grown up in a magical place. The ocean washes against the
    rocky shores, farther inland than it should be, fitting into the gaps left over from glaciers that receded
    millennia ago. That same ocean pushes moisture against the shore where it is trapped against the
    Chugach mountain range, creating the wonderfully dreary weather condition called rain. This rain is as
    much a piece of the landscape as the mountains or the ocean. Nestled in a perfect rain catch, snuggled
    between the usually calm Prince William Sound and massive Lake Eyak, sits Cordova. My home.
    When I was young, I don’t think I really understood the place I lived. I didn’t appreciate it until I
    left. After leaving, I moved to a place that was the exact opposite in all ways: dry, hot, high in the
    mountains, and lacking an ocean. The fact I get to go back every summer makes me feel infinitely more
    fortunate.
    As a freshman in highschool I went on a summer stewardship trip around Cordova. We traveled
    to the interior of Alaska and explored the headwaters of the Copper River and the spawning grounds of
    Alaska’s salmon and trout. While we searched these spawning grounds we marched through a field of
    tall grasses to a coastal sea stack, a large piece of granite sticking out of a marsh. This sea stack had a
    series of streams running through it, and we were determined to record trout fry numbers at the top.
    Each of us covered ourselves in rubber rainwear and set out. Water sloshed near the edges of our boots
    and waders, threatening to spill in. Slowly we reached the sea stack, ducking under alder trees and
    jumping over creeks that flowed out into the meadows we crossed. Once we got to the top, we set to
    work laying traps. These little fish were beautiful. They possessed iridescent scales and spots ran up their
    small bodies. We learned these fish would migrate to other streams and that the salmon, because there
    was a mix of trout and pink salmon, would journey to the ocean. The salmon then traveled back
    upstream where they bring vital nutrients to the watershed and supply healthy food for hungry
    predators. The streams that protected the fry were later revitalized by those same fry, now older and
    completing the circle of life.
    If we follow those fish through the streams and waterways and out into the delta, we find the
    ocean and dozens of fishing boats waiting to catch them. When you're out on the sound or the flats the
    world is open to you. The gray clouds cling in the freezing Pacific air and a low breeze blows through your
    rain gear. Deep in the sound I can see the Collegiate Glaciers moving slower than I could comprehend.
    My captain told me calmly that the fish enjoy the colder waters, so we move the boat around and cast
    our net. Besides the quiet lapping of water against the hull, no other sounds can be heard, the world is
    complete silence. Suddenly, it's all broken by the hum of an engine or the cry of a gull. The world comes
    back into focus and I remember the job at hand. The net is hauled in. The fish come over the bow.
    Seconds later they lay dying in our fish holds… What is the point of that? Such a majestic and powerful
    creature brought to death so we can make money.
    Later, I ask my father about it, questioning the point of fishing and why we have to kill things to
    survive. I then remember when I was young and would cry over the accidental death of birds, trees, and
    the small fish my family and I would catch. How are any of their deaths not equivalent to a family
    member? These fish have traveled the north, survived millions of dangers and persevered, only to be
    caught and eaten by rich folk in the lower 48. He told me that, “we are feeding people, and providing
    people with good food.” It's important for us to fish and fish is a nutrient rich food source, but it should
    be done in a sustainable way. Nothing should be exhausted to the point of commercial or environmental
    extinction. We’ve come so far in sustainable fishing, but it's not enough. There are still aquatic species
    dying from overfishing, bycatch, or pollution. For example the King Salmon, whose numbers have
    dwindled in Prince William Sound because of open ocean trawling and pollution.
    I remember standing in a river with my brother as little kids, both of us acutely underdressed for
    the weather and rocking pairs of Crocs. All around us swam those same fish. Their bodies are partially
    blocked from sight by the running stream. Their teeth were long and jagged, and their movements had
    become slow. My brother’s hand shot down into the creek. Gripping a wriggling, slimy fish he smiles and
    holds it above his head. In the air their appearance is clear. They are inhabiting rotting bodies. They have
    come to the end of their life. But, nestled among the rocks, I can still see little red specks of color. Upon
    closer inspection I can see that they are salmon eggs. Come Spring, they will hatch and everything will
    start over again. Everything comes full circle.

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